Terrors

Terrors are periods of conflict and civil strife in Phoena and abroad as a result of the actions of the Casiric Church.

There have been many terrors, some lasting a few months, while others have lasted decades. The most recent one was the Black Terror, lasting 26 years from 456–482.

Some scholars are arguing that Phoena is currently embroiled in a new terror, instigated by Sorhan, which they are calling the Red Terror.

Black Terror

Black Terror
Date	456–482
Location	Predominantly Phoena
Result	Royal victory Deaths of Faywaz, Rayman, and Kithar
Belligerents
Phoenic crown Saphora Hadina	Casiric Church
Commanders and leaders
Uthayn IV Uthayn V Jassar Salysa Aidani	Mortzopholus Faywaz Rayman Kithar
Casualties
Unknown, but probably in the thousands to the tens of thousands

The Black Terror was the most recent terror and one of the longest lasting, at 26 years long. As one of the most violent periods in Phoenic history, it continues to haunt the Phoenic psyche. This Terror was notable for the unprecedented unity between the three high priests of the Casiric Church at the time: Mortzopholus, Rayman, and Kithar.

In the lead-up to the Black Terror, King Uthayn IV Ymladi of Phoena (note: King Jassar's paternal grandfather), often called Uthayn the Pious, initiated a crackdown on the Casiric Church, burning down many Casiric temples and executing numerous Casiric necromancers in the deepest circles of the Church. His efforts culminated in his 454 execution of High Priest Faywaz.

The next two years saw a noticeable quiet in Casirist activities—until the darkest day of 456, called the Day of the Black Hands, when nearly the entire Ymladi dynasty was massacred by Casirists. Dozens of Casirists led by all three high priests—Mortzopholus, Rayman, and the newly anointed Kithar, who replaced Faywaz—infiltrated the Ymladi's Noorhan Palace in Arbana, where they butchered King Uthayn IV, his wife Queen Samira, two of their daughters, two of their sons, and over a dozen of their extended family.

The next 26 years were some of the darkest in Phoena's history. The country saw multiple succession crises, immense violence in the countryside and in major cities, and hundreds of political assassinations and massacres. Commoners, nobles, and the merchant class alike were all affected—terrorized in the streets and in their homes. Lord Greymark was a notable victim of the Black Terror. It took three generations of Ymladi kings to quell the strife. Uthayn IV's successor, his son Uthaynv V, died relatively young, leaving a young Jassar to take the reigns of a country in turmoil.

In 481, after decades of chaos, King Jassar executed High Priest Rayman at the end of a highly publicized trial. Kithar vowed to avenge him, but in the following year, a thirty-year-old up-and-coming Casiric sorcerer by the name of Sorhan gathered his supporters and assassinated Kithar in something of a Casiric coup d'état. Shortly after, Sorhan ritually murdered his wife (Nico's mother) and was elevated to the status of high priest.

Now with two thirds of the Black Terror's originators gone, with one vacancy among the high priests, and with Sorhan (ironically) showing no interest whatsoever in perpetuating his predecessor's efforts, the Black Terror had at long last come to an end.